State probes town’s affordable housing project
State probes town’s affordable housing project

By Patricia Chambers

The Taos News

The New Mexico Attorney General is reviewing findings by the state’s Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA) of possible improprieties in the man­agement of the Chamisa Verde sub­division, the town of Taos’ affordable housing complex that date back to l999.

Phil Sisneros, a spokesman for AttorneyGeneralGaryKing,confirmed receipt in early August of the MFA findings, but did not have information on the time needed for review of the documents. The Attorney General’s Office has had no further comment on the matter.

State law requires MFA to review all land transactions and applicant qualifications for municipal affordable housing projects and requires munici­palities to provide that documenta­tion.

MFA has sought that documenta­tion since April 2007 but has not yet received it.

The state agency has raised numer­ous questions including whether the applicants were qualified for low­income housing and whether or not the properties had clear titles and deeds.

An attorney for the state agency, Marjorie Martin, sent a June 4 letter to the Town Council detailing the town’s failure to provide the needed informa­tion.

The Taos News learned that the MFA had informed the current coun­cil about the town’s failure to provide documentation on the Chamisa Verde project and formally requested access to correspondence between the town and MFA as related to Chamisa Verde on July 24.

For nearly a year prior to the MFA action, The Taos News had ques­tioned former Town Manager Tomás Benav’dez and former Town Attorney Renee Barela-Gutiérrez about the dis­pute with MFA, but the town officials repeatedly said the situation was a misunderstanding that was being resolved.

Town Clerk Renee Lucero respond­ed to the request in a July 28 letter stating, “The attorney handling this case has deemed this request to be excessively broad. Certain requested materials may be privileged.”

The letter continued with a state­ment that the town’s legal department would make a determination about the confidentiality of the documents and would provide “records which can be released” on or before Aug. 20.

In an attempt to obtain the records for the Aug. 21 issue, members of the Town Council were contacted by The Taos News.

Councilor Darren Còrdova released Martin’s letter and attorney Scott Sanger’s response to MFA on behalf of the Town Council to The Taos News

on April 18 after explaining that the councilors had agreed to waive attor-

See CHAMISA, Page A14

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